detecting rust and pitting

Mungo

Well-Known Member
I hate to expose my ignorance so publicly, but if you don't ask, you never find out...


So: despite shooting for most of my life, I don't really know how to tell if a bore is rusted or pitted. Could people give me some pointers, assuming that I don't have access to a bore scope?

I have a .222, and when you look down the bore, holding it up to the light, there are a number of darker streaks, clustered in a few places - mainly within the first 3-4 inches. These remain even after fairly vigorous cleaning. What do these represent?
 
pits!
stop cleaning and you can't see them!

works for my .222 which has some lovely patterns in the last 4" of the barrel

seems to make no real difference and the foxes can't see in the muzzle!
 
It does seem to shoot more consistently when a bit dirtier, but I'm worried about long term damage.

What sort of cleaning regime do you use here? I'm really used to much drier climate, so I get a bit paranoid about rust.
 
If it is pitted you could possibly feel it when pushing a tight patch through the bore with a cleaning rod. Only a bore scope will tell you for sure.

Does it still shoot O.K. ? If so and you've cleaned the rifle and the marks are still there, there is little that you can do about it other than worry over something that has already happened so just go out and enjoy shooting it.
 
RUST was in the past a direct result of the mercuric primers used in the cartridge....so ALL guns had to be boiled out to flush the salts out of the barrel

In theory, you CAN get away with never cleaning a gun as long as the ammunition is non-corrosive primed
 
In theory, you CAN get away with never cleaning a gun as long as the ammunition is non-corrosive primed

Really? I find that a little hard to believe given how fast rust appears on the outside of the barrel here, if you're not careful. As I say, I'm used to a drier climate, where you could get away without doing much from one year to the next, and I'm shocked at how quickly rust appears in cheery Edinburgh.
 
The problem is that rust can form under the jacket fouling so never cleaning may help this and until it's gotten really bad or you suddenly decide to clean you don't know it's happening or there.
 
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